Olympus M.Zuiko Digital 14-42 mm F3.5-5.6 EZ Lens, Standard Zoom, Suitable for All MFT Cameras (Olympus OM-D & PEN Models, Panasonic G-Series), Black

Product Information

The new M.Zuiko 14-42mm II lens features an updated optical design with improved autofocus drive and smaller dimensions. You can tell there is a bit of distortion correction going on under the hood in our test pictures, as it nicely scales to 0% at the 42mm setting. At other focal lengths, we see some fairly noticeable barrel distortion, topping out at the 14mm mark. This lens is also better on the wider end of its focal range, with center sharpness dropping off a bit when you zoom past 35mm. Even then, to me, the photos I’ve shot at 42mm are still of acceptable sharpness, but definitely a little softer.

Olympus 14-42mm EZ is better than most even knows Olympus 14-42mm EZ is better than most even knows

Let me just say that I would never buy this lens for its outright for its retail price. The real draw of this lens, in my opinion, is getting it essentially as a throw-in with an Olympus camera body.

What I Dislike!

It captures very respectable images, and very much comes into its own as a video lens, since the fully motorized zoom can smoothly and near-silently push in and out of your scene to record more dynamic footage. That electronic zoom also means that you can fully control the focal length from your phone when shooting remotely! Our lab tests suggest the dynamic range is very good across the ISO range too, so although the little Olympus doesn’t have class-leading resolution, its all-round image quality is right up there with the rest. Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark III specifications In my test I attached the camera to a tripod and moved as close as the focusing system would allow. This resulted in the following two photos. On the left the MK I was approx 10cm from the front of the lens to the face, while on the MkII it was 15cm away.

Olympus Pen 14-42mm MKI vs 14-42mm MKII | ePHOTOzine Olympus Pen 14-42mm MKI vs 14-42mm MKII | ePHOTOzine

As this lens comes bundled with many Olympus Digital PEN kits, it is a lens many will already own. The sharpness of this lens in the centre is excellent, and although the quality towards the edges may be a little behind this lens will still be more than adequate for most quality-wise. Upgraders need only replace this lens is a faster aperture, or more flexible zoom range is required. The MkI version of this lens may provide better sharpness from edge to edge, but the enhanced design and faster focusing make the lower sharpness towards the edges penalty worth paying.

Need-to-Know Info

There is a little bit of corner shading for the Olympus 14-42mm ƒ/3.5-5.6 ED EZ: the extreme corners are about a half-stop darker than the center when the lens is used at its widest aperture. At any setting, this shading is reduced and it's basically negligible.

Olympus Digital 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 ED Lens - Photo Review Olympus Digital 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 ED Lens - Photo Review

The new version of the 14-42mm M.Zuiko has dramatically improved its tolerance to chromatic aberration, specifically at the wide end (14mm), where it was most noticeable. It's still there if you look for it - magenta-blue fringing on the edges of high-contrast areas - but it's very slight indeed.The lens took about a second to go from infinity to close-focus: quite fast, and nearly silent. Focus was quite confident, something we've been scrutinizing with Olympus' contrast autofocus detection method. This lens isn't a "constant" lens, in that as you increase the focal length, the maximum aperture size decreases. The following table reflects the change as you zoom: Focal length The AF motor is very weak and cannot handle the load of a filter and lens hood combined. Nor can it take a Cokin P series filter holder and in any event, the rotating front element and inability to retain focus when changing filters makes this lens close to useless for ND filters etc. Also typical of wide angles is a hefty barrel distortion in the wide range. The 14-42mm lens does show some barrel distortion, seen most significantly at 14mm; however, it is well-controlled, showing only a maximum distortion (in the corners) of 1%. As the focal length increases, the distortion decreases quite linearly, until it becomes negligible by 35mm.

Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 EZ Overview Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 EZ Overview

The zoom ring is a half-inch wide, plastic with alternating raised ribs sections that run lengthwise to the lens. The ring turns about 50 degrees through its range of focal lengths, and is quite easy to turn. There is some significant lens extension as the lens is zoomed out towards the tele end; specifically, the lens gets a half-inch longer at the widest angle setting (14mm) or the tele setting (42mm). At 25mm, it's at its shortest length. When retracted below 14mm for storage, the lens hides about an inch of itself within its structure. The Olympus 14-42mm ƒ/3.5-5.6 ED EZ M.Zuiko is very fast to autofocus, taking less than a second to go through its entire focusing range. The lens uses Olympus' MSC (Movie & Still Compatible) design, making it ideal for use in both still and video applications. The front element does not rotate when focusing, making life that much easier for polarizer users.

Olympus M. Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 EZ ED MSC Specifications

Distortion is well controlled with only 0.983% barrel distortion at 14mm being replaced with only 0.376% pincushion distortion at 42mm. This low level of distortion should rarely require correction, but if it does, the distortion pattern is uniform across the frame throughout the zoom range, which should make applying corrections in image editing software afterwards, relatively straightforward. The IIR version is physically longer. The EZ collapses into I guess what you call a pancake form (less than 7/8") when the camera is off but upon powering up immediately extends to twice the length (1-3/4"). The zoom ring is electronic (EZ) which means it does not rotate but turns a bit right or left to zoom electrically controlled. That may be an advantage for remote camera control under wifi or Bluetooth where I think there is a remote zoom control. Unlike many pancake zooms, the Olympus M.Zuiko 14‑42mm f/3.5‑5.6 EZ has a powered mechanism, meaning that you don't have to manually telescope the optic to deploy it. Simply turn on the camera and the lens will automatically extend.